ACT’s arrogant tactic just made the possibility of a National/Green

ACT’s David Seymour floats confidence-only partnership – no supply

ACT has floated the possibility of a new kind of governing arrangement if National refuses to cooperate during post-election negotiations.

Party leader David Seymour has threatened to resort to a confidence-only deal, which would require the larger party to seek ACT’s backing for all government spending – or “supply” – decisions on a case-by-case basis.

Recent polls suggest National and ACT could form a government together, but National having to also rely on NZ First – who ACT has ruled out – is also a real possibility.

National has also begun ruling out – or in some cases merely rejecting – ACT policies.

Seymour says if National is not prepared to “fully share power”, his party would consider a minority-government position.

“We’re prepared to do it if the alternative is taking the baubles of office and letting our voters in New Zealand down. So yep, I’ve done it before – I turned down being a minister to do End of Life Choice,” he says.

However, his version would be a different flavour to what NZ First’s Winston Peters has threatened in the past:

“I think we’d be able to be clear that, you know, while they have the confidence of the house, if they want to pass Budgets they are going to have to rely on another party,” Seymour said.

“I think it would probably be just confidence.”

This would mean that although ACT would help National form a government, they could refuse to support its spending initiatives – a break from the traditional “confidence and supply” agreement which sees the minor party guarantee to support the larger’s Budget.

…if Labour, Greens and Maori Party are the Coalition of Chaos, then National, ACT and NZ First are the Alliance of Arseholes and they are fighting before the election is even held!

People don’t understand how wide eyed ACT are about implementing harsh reforms that will cause enormous carnage, that they are openly threatening National should be an enormous red flag that ACT has intention of moderating any policy!

We are facing a situation where the Country will be held to ransom by an extremist hard right Party and the political media want to scream about an advert Labour got wrong!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK!

How is it that an extremist hard right Political Party can openly threaten National and hold the country to ransom and the political media are bickering about truth in social media adverts???

The extremism of ACT spooks a wet like Luxon and you can certainly see a situation where ACT is so off the planet crazy that Luxon would seriously consider reaching out to the Greens instead!

Here’s Matthew Hooton behind the paywall…

The Greens and Act are feasting on the purple corpse, but cannibalising their allies doesn’t help their cause.

Strategists in both parties are pondering ways to get dismayed Labour and National voters to cross the old divide — Labour’s soft supporters to Act, and National’s to the Greens.

Act wants enough votes from Labour’s rump to assuage their fears that Luxon would prefer a teal National-Green Government than one with them. Act’s candidates will need to listen to their strategists’ warnings that nothing turns off such voters more than arrogance or overconfidence.

Green strategists say their party is in good shape after co-leader James Shaw focused on its base following his temporary removal in 2022. Likewise, co-leader Marama Davidson has been reminded that joking about white cis males being responsible for all the violence in the world won’t win votes.

Market research suggests potential Green voters now see them as greater than their sum. Davidson provides assurance the Greens really are distinct from the purple parties, while Shaw underlines that it can work with National, Labour and business on policy wins.

Davidson has done her job locking in the Greens’ base after Hipkins ruled out serious tax reform.

The plan now is for soft National voters to hear Shaw waxing lyrical about climate change adaptation being the greatest economic opportunity in a generation and climate change mitigation technologies as valuable new export earners, backed up by the safe faces of Chlöe Swarbrick and Julie Anne Genter talking about public transport and affordable housing.

…if David Seymour is threatening to hold the country to hostage so he can pass far right policy, wouldn’t Luxon be a far smarter politician to offer a deal to the Greens instead?

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